- ULTIMATE FIGHTER 7 SALARIES & AWARD BONUSES

by Ken Pishna – MMAWeekly.com (Photos by Scott Petersen)
The fighter salary information for The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale, which took place on Saturday, June 21 at the Palms in Las Vegas, was made available on Monday.

The following figures are based on the fighter salary information that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic commissions, including the winners’ bonuses.

Although MMA fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the fighters’ salaries are still public record, just as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters (specifically pay-per-view bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.) are not included in the figures below.

The following fighters received a $20,000 bonus from the UFC for the awards noted: Dustin Hazelett (Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night for a total of $40,000), Josh Burkman (Fight of the Night with Dustin Hazelett), and Drew McFedries (Knockout of the Night).

In the listings below, ” Main Event Fighters” are defined as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. “Main Card Fighters” are defined as fighters whose fights appear on the main card, but not in title fights or in the main event. “Preliminary Match Fighters” are defined as fighters whose matches take place before the live broadcast goes on the air, regardless of whether or not those matches end up airing on the TV broadcast.

MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS

-Kendall Grove: $32,000 (defeated Evan Tanner; win bonus was $16,000)

-Evan Tanner: $25,000 (lost to Kendall Grove; win bonus would have been $25,000)